John K. Robinson Patent for Match-Sticks   Save
Ohio History Connection
Description: These letters patent were issued to John K. Robinson of Middlebury, Ohio (near Akron), for his improvement of the match-stick. The patent includes a drawing and description of his improvement. By changing the shape of the matchstick, Robinson claimed to have made it easier to ignite. Robinson was awarded patent No. 105,727. The patent and drawing are two pages and measure 7.5" x 11.25" (19.05 x 28.58 cm). Akron was known for the production of matches throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. John Barber organized Barber Match Works in Akron in 1847. In 1881, twelve match companies (including Barber Match Works) merged to form the Diamond Match Company. The name was a reference to the unique shape of matches made by the Barber Match Company. In 1881, Diamond Match Company bought out Barber's Match Works and became and integral part of Akron's economy. By the twentieth century, Diamond Match Company manufactured twenty percent of all the matches used in the United States. In 1911, on the request of President William H. Taft, Diamond released its patent on the first non-poisonous match to the public. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1396_1132065_001
Subjects: Science and Technology; Business and Labor; Patents; Match industry; Inventors; Inventions
Places: Middlebury (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)